Albania is taking steps towards adopting international standards of sustainable tourism.

The GSTC Sustainable Tourism course took place for the first time in Albania from November 8th-9th at Hotel Maritim Plaza in Tirana, the capital and largest city of Albania. The course was organized and supported by RisiAlbania & HELVETAS with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC. Led by GSTC Trainers, Prof. Urs Wagenseil and Dr. Sabine Mueller, there was a great overall response from Albanian tourism stakeholders. There were 23 participants from the Private Sector, such as hotels, tour operations, and destination organizations, as well as the Public Sector, including the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, academics from local universities, and tourism experts. Participants consider this an important step towards sustainable tourism and find that the training will open the door to other events and courses. The trained participants will now be able to offer services in the local market and further promote the adoption of standards.

About the GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Course

The GSTC Sustainable Tourism Training Program offers regular online and in-person courses covering the GSTC Criteria, with the aim of supporting industry professionals to:

✓ Gain in-depth knowledge of the GSTC Criteria, the global standard for sustainability in travel and tourism.
✓ Make informed decisions on how to implement sustainability practices for your company or destination.
✓ Get ready for developing viable and actionable sustainable tourism policies and practices for your organization.